b>bbc.co.uk An investigation by the BBC has revealed that Thai officials have been selling boat people from Burma to human traffickers. The BBC found that boats were being intercepted by the Thai navy and police, with deals then made to sell the people on to traffickers who transport them south towards Malaysia.

independent.ie The death toll from the bloody terrorist siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara has climbed to at least 81. Algerian forces searching the complex for explosives found dozens more bodies, many so badly disfigured they could not immediately be identified.

telegraph.co.uk Andy Murray has qualified for the quarter-finals of the Australian Open after a straight-sets 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 victory over Gilles Simon.

TRAVEL SITE lastminute.com.au has launched a tactical ad following Lance Armstrong's confessional interview with Oprah Winfrey and recommended Phuket, Thailand for the disgraced cyclist: You're probably not getting too many grins at home in the US so 'The Land of Smiles' could be just the ticket.

bbc.co.uk US safety officials have widened their probe into a Japan Airlines-operated Boeing 787 Dreamliner after deciding that overheating was not the cause of a battery fire.

thetimes.co.uk Snow is expected to blanket the UK for the next week, prompting delays to road, rail and air travel, with Heathrow Airport cancelling around 260 flights due to take off today.

PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap

PHUKET: A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media.

whatsonxiamen.com Orient Thai Airlines Boeing 737-300 took off from Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport directly to Phuket, the hottest tourist destination in Southeast Asia, with only a four-hour traveling time. Governor of Phuket, Maitree Inthusut, took the maiden flight to Phuket.

nationmultimedia.com The residents of Ranong [a province north of Phuket] will oppose the setting up of a refugee camp for Rohingya there, a community leader said. Sucheep Patthong said his group would launch protests if there were reports indicating the government intended to open a camp in Ranong.

bangkokpost.com Campaigns by oppressive governments have caused millions of refugees over the past century. The reason the Rohingya are fleeing is because their government cannot protect them. Neighbors, especially Asean members, have failed too often to point out that country's terrible, harmful shortcomings. Many policies and countries share the shame for the plight of the Rohingya, but none as much as Burma (Myanmar).

bbc.co.uk The Burmese army has launched a fresh attack on rebel Kachin forces in the north of the country, breaking a short-lived government ceasefire.

afp US President Barack Obama has taken the oath of office to begin a second term threatened by strife at home and abroad and amid inaugural rituals lacking the hope and historic promise of 2009. Obama will take the oath of office for a second time at a time-honored outdoor public ceremony at the US Capitol on Monday.

bangkokpost.com The board of Thai Airways International has complied with its ground staff's demand to improve their salary increases from 4 percent to 7.5 percent, THAI president Sorajak Kasemsuvan said.

smh.com.au Some single mothers in Australia hit by recent welfare cuts to parenting payments have turned to prostitution and strip clubs in order to keep a roof over their family's head. More than 60,000 single parents now receive between $60 to $100 a week less under entitlement changes.

pattayamail.com Sadly Thailand does not have people in gov't & the police willing to commit to year-round activities promoting Road Safety or cracking down on reckless driving. The rising toll of road fatalities will continue to rise even as Thailand leads the Asean Group in number of road fatalities. 365 deaths in one week of Christmas/New Year is a national disgrace.

bernama ''There is the need for Malaysia to focus attention on the worsening number of drowning cases in beaches or elsewhere and take proactive steps to prevent more deaths,'' said National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

scmp.com Despite their wealth - Singapore and Hong Kong rank third and seventh on per capita GDP according to the World Bank - the two cities are among the least happy territories in the world, according to a Gallup poll. Singapore is way ahead in the race to be Asia's most miserable place, ranking rock bottom in the poll of 148 nations and territories.

telegraph.co.uk Later this month, Bill Gates will deliver the BBC's Dimbleby Lecture, taking as his theme the value of the young human being. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $1.8 billion in the next six years to obliterate polio: ''The golden rule is that all lives have equal value and we should treat people as we would like to be treated.''

theage.com.au A parliamentary committee report recently described Australia's international representation as ''seriously deficient'' and called for at least 20 more foreign missions.

theage.com.au News outlets that want to be taken seriously - and make profits into the future - would do well to recommit to accuracy. Getting it wrong is never right.

Phuket World Sports Wrap

guardian.co.uk Sir Alex Ferguson turned his fire on the assistant referee Simon Beck, questioning how he could not have awarded Manchester United a potentially decisive second-half penalty, which he felt was costly when Tottenham Hotspur rallied to secure a 1-1 draw in injury time.

bbc.co.uk Chelsea held off London rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge to claim their first home win of 2013 at the fourth attempt. Juan Mata drove in a shot to put the Blues in front, although the visitors could justifiably claim there had been a foul against them in the build-up.

telegraph.co.uk Novak Djokovic has confirmed his status as the marathon man of Melbourne Park. Having finally seen off Stan Wawrinka in a punishing duel that lasted two minutes over five hours, he ripped off his shirt and bared his chest in an echo of last year's victory over Rafael Nadal.

guardian.co.uk Lance Armstrong cried and admitted he was ''sick'' and ''narcissistic'' in the second round of his confessional TV interview with Oprah Winfrey, but avoided fleshing out his earlier, limited confession to having cheated his way to the pinnacle of world cycling.

AP Kimiko Date-Krumm is amazed she's still playing Grand Slam tennis at 42. A player half her age put her out in the third round. She is older than the mothers of some of the other players. Will she be back next year? ''I will try my best,'' she said.

dailymail.co.uk After having crushed Heather Watson in straight sets, Agnieszka Radwanska made short work of Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round. The Pole beat Ivanovic in straight sets to record her 13th win in a row, having taken the titles in Auckland and Sydney in the warm up to this Slam.